Electron density enhancement over a wide altitude range during
ionosphere heating experiments at EISCAT
Abstract
During the course of ionospheric heating experiments, an apparent
electron density enhancement was observed at the European Incoherent
Scatter Scientific Association (EISCAT). The enhancement extended over a
wide range of altitudes, above the reflection altitude of the
high-frequency pump wave. However, it remains open whether this
enhancement actually corresponds to a true enhancement in electron
density. Following the dispersion relation of ion acoustic waves, the
frequency ratio of the enhanced ion line to the background ion line
suggests that the profile of the effective ion mass might remain
unchanged. Furthermore, the solar radio flux and ion drift velocity
indicated no significant changes in the ion species and their densities.
In conclusion, the electron density enhancement observed at EISCAT,
might not in fact be a true enhancement.